Dwain77

speedoo wrote:Or, instead of wading through all the details, just read the final section, entitled "Conclusion". This is a very mediocre camera, as evidenced by the 69% score given by dpreview.

This is dpreview your talking about. They deal with all cameras, so keep in mind they'll compare this to much more expensive/high end bodies. For reference a couple days ago they reviewed the Nikon D600 ($2,100 body only) gets rated as 87%.

Also they say 'Good for: Beginners who want a solid entry-level camera for general photography'. Anyone that's already into photography knows this may not have all the features for them, but your beginner or casual shooter won't use 1/2 of what this body will do.

Bottom line is, if you aren't familiar with DSLR's and your asking about the quality of this camera or the pictures I'd bet it's good enough for you.

tachapman

[quote postid="5242048" user="radi0j0hn"]Attention "gym photographers:" This outfit is not going to deliver the results YOU want if your goal is to get frozen-action shots of your kid scoring the winning basket in the high school tournament.

Buy the body, invest in the glass. Yes, this kit lens won't deliver that action shot inside a gym, or on the night-time football field, but the right lens with this camera will. I shoot lacrosse and football games with this body and an EE70-200mm 2.8L USM and they've been published.

Dwain77

tachapman wrote:[quote postid="5242048" user="radi0j0hn"]Attention "gym photographers:" This outfit is not going to deliver the results YOU want if your goal is to get frozen-action shots of your kid scoring the winning basket in the high school tournament.

Buy the body, invest in the glass. Yes, this kit lens won't deliver that action shot inside a gym, or on the night-time football field, but the right lens with this camera will. I shoot lacrosse and football games with this body and an EE70-200mm 2.8L USM and they've been published.

Loose the snobby attitude, and teach instead of lecture.

Agreed.

I actually have an older Nikon, lower specs than this Canon. I've shot in contests against people using multi-thousand dollar body/lens combos. My pictures scored higher in the contest than a lot of the high end gear.

dgingerich

I bought this camera a little over a year ago on an E-Bay daily deal with this lens and the EF-S 55 - 250mm lens. I knew it was entry level when I bought it, but I know a little bit about using aperture and shutter speed.

I'm shocked by the quality of pictures I've been able to take with this camera. Definitely invest about $100 and get the 50mm 1.8 lens. Amazing bokeh and sharpness for the price.

I'm no professional, but I've had numerous people tell me I should be after seeing pictures that I've taken with this camera. Maybe that just speaks to the quality of some of the "professionals" out there charging for their work, but it's definitely made me a better photographer than I was with a point and shoot.

I use Aperture Priority mode 90% of the time, but my wife uses the automatic mode, and it still takes nice pictures. I've taken about 4000 pics in the last year. I usually can take more than 500 pics without recharging the battery, but I rarely use the flash or the LCD.

All in all, it's a great camera for the price if you can't afford the extra few hundred dollars for a T3i or T4i.

I've been previewing Black Friday ads, this camera is offered by several retailers (Target, WalMart, Sam's, Best Buy) as a $499-$599 deal with extra lens, memory card, and other accessories that vary by store.

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80's quotes...
"If your hair moves while headbanging, you didn't use enough hairspray."
"It's not how WELL you sing, it's how HIGH you sing!"

charliecarroll

tachapman wrote:[quote postid="5242048" user="radi0j0hn"]Attention "gym photographers:" This outfit is not going to deliver the results YOU want if your goal is to get frozen-action shots of your kid scoring the winning basket in the high school tournament.

Buy the body, invest in the glass. Yes, this kit lens won't deliver that action shot inside a gym, or on the night-time football field, but the right lens with this camera will. I shoot lacrosse and football games with this body and an EE70-200mm 2.8L USM and they've been published.

Loose the snobby attitude, and teach instead of lecture.

You make an excellent point and with a great attitude attached to it. And of course you are 100% right about a better lens doing a much better job. But this kit lens does do a darn good job for the price and makes a good first, 'normal' lens. Everyone has to start somewhere and this is a great place to start. I would say less than 10% of new Camera owners go beyond the bounds of a Camera like this and for that 90%, that will be shooting either program/auto, or one of the priority modes (at most) this canon is all they will ever need and they won't be dropping several thousands in it. But, for that 10% that do decide to learn and grow they can start stepping up one lens at a time and if they really go for it all then they can go after a more professional body. I think the best way to approach a novice is with encouragement and congratulations for stepping into yet a new level of photography for them. At this point, layman terms and pointers are most helpful and will indeed direct them on the path to more detailed knowledge. It's kind of like driving up to a person that has just purchased there very first new car. Economy model with only a few bells and whistles. Here you come driving up in your new Corvette and you start telling them where their little car does not stand up to yours. That is just not needed at all. To that new first time owner, the 'fairy dust' is all around that brand new ride and the owner is tickled to death. As they should be. Some people forget what it was like before they knew everything.

Both are good entry level cameras and I am sure your post along with my answer will fuel the great Canon vs. Nikon war that has been going on forever. lol With that said, I like the Canon better. Many (as I do) believe Canon went past Nikon a while back with quieter and faster operating lens. By faster I mean how fast the lens would come into focus. Also, Canon right of the start was building the auto focus motors in the lens instead of in the body. The war there was easier to settle. If a motor went bad in a lens, you were only without auto focus on that lens and the rest you had would work find. The Nikon in the body lens gave you the problem, if it went out, you lost auto focus no matter what lens you used. Nikon recovered on that also but Canon seems to be the leader today. Now all the Nikon lovers can blast away at me as I would certainly expect as well as respect.

I've not used either of these cameras. Plus I'll admit I'm a Nikon guy but I'll try to keep that out of the post.

From looking them both up the cameras are pretty similar spec wise. The Nikon has a few more megapixels and more video resolutions. Also something maybe worth noting is the Nikon has a higher ISO meaning you could shot in a darker environment.

For more information you can look at the reviews from www.dpreview.com and can compare the 2. You'll see that the Nikon is the same or slightly higher in all the areas rate. They rate the D3100 at 72% and the T3 at 69%. In the real world I'm not sure how much you'd really notice a difference.

The best advice I can give is to go somewhere and actually look at the cameras, hold them and get a feel for how they work. Personally when I started I was open to Nikon or Canon (or others). Although after holding the different models and playing with them a little I didn't like the way the Canon felt. The Nikon, to me, seemed far more solid and a much better build. Again that was years ago and things change all the time. You should really go and find out for yourself what you think of each brand.

kavoelker

I have been wanting to get a DSLR for awhile, but haven't yet. I am wondering if I should wait until black friday and try and get a better deal.. I was going to go by Wolf Camera today, however they apparently aren't open :p

Dwain77

charliecarroll wrote:Both are good entry level cameras and I am sure your post along with my answer will fuel the great Canon vs. Nikon war that has been going on forever. lol With that said, I like the Canon better. Many (as I do) believe Canon went past Nikon a while back with quieter and faster operating lens. By faster I mean how fast the lens would come into focus. Also, Canon right of the start was building the auto focus motors in the lens instead of in the body. The war there was easier to settle. If a motor went bad in a lens, you were only without auto focus on that lens and the rest you had would work find. The Nikon in the body lens gave you the problem, if it went out, you lost auto focus no matter what lens you used. Nikon recovered on that also but Canon seems to be the leader today. Now all the Nikon lovers can blast away at me as I would certainly expect as well as respect.

NIKON! just kidding

It's hard to really say 1 is better than the other, like I said above the buyers opinion is most important I'd say.

Another point though:
If you have friends/family that use either Nikon or Canon you might have an advantage to choosing the same brand so you can borrow, buy or swap lenses.

prateek6bansal

Hi all,
I am new tot he entire woot concept and this woot community
can anyone please suggest me with two things
and I am really interested in buying an entry level SLR
1. Are the woot products new and genuine(pls dont kill me for this question)
2. Will I get a better deal in best buy or any other electronic store on black friday
Hope to hear from you

Dwain77

prateek6bansal wrote:Hi all,
I am new tot he entire woot concept and this woot community
can anyone please suggest me with two things
and I am really interested in buying an entry level SLR
1. Are the woot products new and genuine(pls dont kill me for this question)
2. Will I get a better deal in best buy or any other electronic store on black friday
Hope to hear from you

Prateek

Woot lists the condition next to the price, in this case NEW. I've never had anything that wasn't genuine from Woot. As always you can return an item to Woot if you're not satisfied.

As for black Friday, I don't know what deals are out there. Maybe you'll be able to find a better deal at a store, then go wait outside for 3 hours to try and buy one. Honestly you'll just have to look around at your local deals and make that decision.

prateek6bansal

Dwain77 wrote:Woot lists the condition next to the price, in this case NEW. I've never had anything that wasn't genuine from Woot. As always you can return an item to Woot if you're not satisfied.

As for black Friday, I don't know what deals are out there. Maybe you'll be able to find a better deal at a store, then go wait outside for 3 hours to try and buy one. Honestly you'll just have to look around at your local deals and make that decision.

kaimukinchu

Woot still says that USPS won't deliver lithium batteries to APO/FPO addresses, but that ban has been lifted! So Woot, time to send the APO/FPO wooters some love! Woot!
http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2012/pr12_128.htm Just in Time for the Holidays, U.S. Postal Service to Begin Global Shipping of Packages with Lithium Batteries
International, APO, FPO and DPO Locations Included
"WASHINGTON — Effective Nov.15, Post Offices will begin accepting packages containing lithium batteries installed in electronic devices bound for many international destinations, and Army (APO), Fleet (FPO) and Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) locations."

PemberDucky

kaimukinchu wrote:Woot still says that USPS won't deliver lithium batteries to APO/FPO addresses, but that ban has been lifted! So Woot, time to send the APO/FPO wooters some love! Woot!
http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2012/pr12_128.htm Just in Time for the Holidays, U.S. Postal Service to Begin Global Shipping of Packages with Lithium Batteries
International, APO, FPO and DPO Locations Included
"WASHINGTON — Effective Nov.15, Post Offices will begin accepting packages containing lithium batteries installed in electronic devices bound for many international destinations, and Army (APO), Fleet (FPO) and Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) locations."

we saw! our overlord is working out the minutiae on that and we expect to be able to ship them soon!

(meanwhile, we do need to change the copy. good lookin' out.)

-----------------------------------------------
Not sure if you should post that? This slightly-nsfw-flowchart will help.

tpsully1

meandsecoya wrote:I bought this back when it was on sale before and I have been very pleased with it so far. You will definitely want to get another lens for zoom. I'm saving up for one now. However, the quality of the photos is good enough that I can crop it and it doesn't lose any clarity. I'm still learning all the manual settings; I'm mostly using auto settings at this point and I've been pleased with those, also. Battery life has been good, too.

radi0j0hn

mhommer wrote:I though that was the point of the SLR body, ability to interchange lenses. I have the model previous to this and with a 200mm telephoto you can get very good action shots indoors. I also have 400mm and get very crisp shots from across the soccer field. It is a good camera body to start with, learn the basics, determine what kind of photos you want and get a lens that will best suite your desires.

You are correct, but many beginners do not realize that one should "learn the basics, determine what kind of photos you want and get a lens that will best suit your desires." They think that digital=magic. Many people grew up with point and shoot cameras using film with enormous latitude, and expect digitals to be even better. Some day they will be, but right now you still need to do the work to learn the basics.

I see it every week, with folks describing camera shake, subject movement etc., as "blurry pictures" and they blame the camera.

You need to expend at least as much time and effort learning the basics as you do watching Honey Boo Boo.

yciment

melbsfinest wrote:I've been watching for the right deal and so far I've seen a few other stores/websites offer this camera for $360. That's not a huge price difference but Woot needs to step their game up.

radi0j0hn

tachapman wrote:[quote postid="5242048" user="radi0j0hn"]Attention "gym photographers:" This outfit is not going to deliver the results YOU want if your goal is to get frozen-action shots of your kid scoring the winning basket in the high school tournament.

Buy the body, invest in the glass. Yes, this kit lens won't deliver that action shot inside a gym, or on the night-time football field, but the right lens with this camera will. I shoot lacrosse and football games with this body and an EE70-200mm 2.8L USM and they've been published.

Loose the snobby attitude, and teach instead of lecture.

Apparently few of you have worked in cameras stores lately. It's insane!

I'm condensing down to brass tacks what I deal with every week. People buy these cameras with genuine but unrealistic expectations, and then get frustrated when the shots are "blurry" and still have no understanding why.

I try to explain the limitations of f/stops and how it is slowly getting better due to increasing ISOs, and I can see their eyes glazing over...they simply don't want to know this stuff, just take award-winning photos with no effort on their part.

One person bought one of these cameras on Monday, expected to learn all about it in an hour and was shooting a WEDDING with it on Saturday! [When I told her it wasn't a good idea she said, "That's OK, the marriage is probably not going to last anyway!"]

Also,these folks just ain't gonna buy a EE70-200mm 2.8L USM that costs more than the camera outfit.

For those who take the typical outdoor shots, this outfit will be perfect and far better than a compact point and shoot. Add that $100 50mm 1.8 and it will open up a whole new world of available light photography. But I suspect some of you seasoned photographers are out of touch with the wild expectations of current newbie customers.

zyodei

Woot got bought by Amazon. So, they are as reputable as Amazon now, although they have always been quite reputable.

THeir model has always been based on this simple premise: Woot.com has the cheapest prices available anywhere, period. Maybe on Black Friday or some nonsense you can shave a couple of bucks, but it is very rare that a Woot deal is not the best deal around, even if it's just by a few bucks.

dman928

zyodei wrote:Woot got bought by Amazon. So, they are as reputable as Amazon now, although they have always been quite reputable.

THeir model has always been based on this simple premise: Woot.com has the cheapest prices available anywhere, period. Maybe on Black Friday or some nonsense you can shave a couple of bucks, but it is very rare that a Woot deal is not the best deal around, even if it's just by a few bucks.

I don't think that's the case anymore. I've always found them reputable, but their prices have been beaten consistently lately.

I found this camera for $384 shipped from Ryther Camera after a 30 second search. I still buy stuff from Woot!, but I no longer take it for granted that the price is the lowest around.

gtrlvrs

mhommer wrote:I though that was the point of the SLR body, ability to interchange lenses. I have the model previous to this and with a 200mm telephoto you can get very good action shots indoors. I also have 400mm and get very crisp shots from across the soccer field. It is a good camera body to start with, learn the basics, determine what kind of photos you want and get a lens that will best suite your desires.

I've been the proud owner of the Canon Rebel XT for about five years and have loved the shots. I'd assume the lenses I bought for it will still work on the T3? Are the lenses changing that much at this point?

craigthom

blackberryjam wrote:I bought this T3 the last time around, to quickly and affordably replace my stolen 10 year old Nikon- I was a little nervous about switching over to Canon, but I have to say I have really enjoyed this camera- my long range plans are to keep investing in Canon lenses, then upgrade the body to maybe a 5D down the road- this has been the perfect way to do that- I have bought 2 other lenses so far, as well as a battery grip- when I bought it (for this price) it was $100 less than anywhere around including Wal-Mart, so for me, and what I was looking for, this was and still is a really good deal to move into a DSLR affordably...

If you are planning to upgrade to a 5D (or a 6D or a 1D) then don't buy any EF-S lenses. They won't fit.

jsh139

gtrlvrs wrote:I've been the proud owner of the Canon Rebel XT for about five years and have loved the shots. I'd assume the lenses I bought for it will still work on the T3? Are the lenses changing that much at this point?

All Canon EF and EF-S lenses will work with the T3. It's the older FD lenses that won't work (without modification).

If you'd spent another thirty seconds with Google you'd have discovered that Ryther may be one of those places (very common in the camera business) that sells gray market products with no warranty, then calls you to try to sell you either the US version or a separate warranty.

I would never buy a camera from a company I wasn't familiar with. Adorama, B&H, Amazon, and Woot are about it.

Woot.com is operated by Woot Services LLC.
Products on Woot.com are sold by Woot, Inc., other than items on Wine.Woot which are sold by the seller specified on the product detail page.
Product narratives are for entertainment purposes and frequently employ
literary point of view;
the narratives do not express Woot's editorial opinion.
Aside from literary abuse, your use of this site also subjects you to Woot's
terms of use
and
privacy policy.
Woot may designate a user comment as a Quality Post, but that doesn't mean we agree with or guarantee anything said or linked to in that post.